Electronic systems are pervasive in modern society. Power supply systems or converters are typically used to supply power to many electronic systems. For example, FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of exemplary electronic system 100 having converter 102 receiving power from battery 104 and supplying a controlled voltage (Vout) to a load. The load may be, for example, an integrated circuit inside an electronic device, such as a smartphone or wearable device.
Efficiency is an important parameter for electronic systems in general, and for power supply systems in particular. Increasing efficiency may result in many advantages, such as increase battery life, less heat, etc.
An SMPS is a type of converter that uses a switching regulator to transfer power from an AC or DC source into a load. An SMPS is typically more efficient than other types of power supply systems because it is based on controlled charging and discharging of an inductive element, which reduces energy lost due to power dissipation caused by a resistive voltage drop.
An SMPS may be implemented as a step-down (buck) converter, a step-up (boost) converter, a buck-boost converter, among others. A buck converter, for example, typically maintains a constant voltage at its output over a wide range of input voltages and loads.
An SMPS may be operated in various modes, such as a pulse-width modulation (PWM) mode, pulse frequency modulation (PFM) mode, among others. Techniques, such as pulse skipping, are typically used to further improve efficiency.